Look for this colorful trailer hauling the life-size “1964½” Ford Mustang made out of thousands of LEGO bricks.

Keep an eye out for the colorful truck and trailer carrying the life-size LEGO® replica of the “1964½” Ford Mustang as it rolls from Connecticut to Indiana. If you spot it, snap a photo and share it with hashtag #BrickPony!

Breaking records is awesome! So check back here next week for an exclusive report from “The Brickyard,” where #BrickPony will lead a huge parade of ‘stangs representing more than 50 years of the Ford Mustang in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record on Friday, Sept. 2.

#BrickPony was created in association with longtime LEGOLAND Florida Resort sponsor Southern Ford Dealers, which also helped arrange its eye-catching transportation.

You can check out the 1:1 model of the classic car Sept. 1-4 during the anniversary festivities. Plus, stop by our booth to guess the number of LEGO bricks used to build the model for a chance to win a trip to LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and help us create a giant LEGO mural honoring the American icon.

At the theme park #BuiltForKids, the U.S. men and women who work tirelessly to keep us safe are invited to spend the day on us with complimentary, single-day admission during the entire month of September!

Get the whole family together because first responders can also purchase up to four same-day tickets at 50 percent off! If you’re looking for even more brick-tastic fun, upgrade tickets to LEGOLAND® Water Park for just $20 each.

To receive complimentary and discounted tickets, eligible personnel must present his or her employee ID or professional organization membership card at the LEGOLAND Florida Resort ticket windows on the day of their visit.

Don’t want to just spend the day? Stay the night and receive a 10 percent discount at LEGOLAND Hotel, the colorful, 152-room tower right next to the theme park! The hotel discount is available online only, so make your reservation today at www.LEGOLAND.com/hero2016. Proof of eligibility is required at check-in; otherwise, the prevailing room rate will be charged.

Eligible U.S. personnel include:

Fire and rescue first responders

Emergency medical services employees (EMT/EMS)

Municipal and county police and sheriff’s officers

Highway patrol officers

Corrections officers

State and federal law enforcement officers

Fish and wildlife field officers

U.S. Forest Service rangers

National Park Service personnel

Homeland Security agents

Environmental Protection law enforcement officers

For more information, including days and hours of operation, visit www.LEGOLAND.com/Florida. Remember that the theme park and water park will be closed on select dates in September.

Recently we asked brick fans to help us support our local community by filling one of the LEGOLAND® Florida Resort shuttle buses with school supplies. The response was brick-tastic! After adding up everything donated by guests and our Model Citizens, the final tally was nearly 2,800 items.

All items will be distributed to elementary and middle school students assisted by the HEARTH Project, a Polk County program that assists homeless and in-transition families and children “by eliminating barriers to school enrollment, attendance, stability, and overall academic success.”

According to Dee Dee Wright, homeless liaison for the Polk County School Board, last year 3,691 Polk County students were in a homeless situation sometime during the school year. In 2015, the organization was able to distribute school supplies to more than 850 students. She says this year they will be able to give even more due to this collaboration.

“We were very excited that LEGOLAND Florida Resort chose to support the HEARTH Project and provide assistance to our homeless students,” she said. “We were moved by the overwhelming generosity of the LEGOLAND staff and our community members. Giving school supplies not only equips students for success, but also makes them a confident learner.”

The supply drive was part of a global campaign called Being a Force for Good by Merlin Entertainments, the parent company of LEGOLAND Florida Resort, and represents the latest in a long line of LEGOLAND efforts to support our community and its children. Thank you to everyone that participated! You’re awesome!

When it opens next year, LEGOLAND® Beach Retreat will offer a great new way for families and friends to stay and play at LEGOLAND Florida Resort. The all-new accommodations combine the fun of surf and sand with the creativity of LEGO® building sets while offering beautiful views of Lake Dexter from nearly every sun-kissed corner.

Today, with construction moving right along, we’re giving a sneak peek at the awesome LEGO décor that awaits guests in each of the 83 beach-themed bungalows, which offer 166 separate accommodations that sleep up to five. There’s even a cozy area designed just for kids. Check it out in the latest episode of LEGOLAND Florida Resort TV:

The village-style resort was announced in March, less than a year after the May 2015 debut of the popular LEGOLAND Hotel, a five-story tower with 152 LEGO themed rooms and suites. With the opening of LEGOLAND Beach Retreat next year, we’ll be the first LEGOLAND resort in North America to offer two highly immersive resorts with LEGO theming inside and out.

Designed with the same mix of imagination and kid-centric detail that made the LEGOLAND Hotel an immediate hit, LEGOLAND Beach Retreat invites guests to relax in an oasis of endless outdoor fun. Kids can slide, swing, jump and climb at one of many outdoor play areas, and each candy-colored bungalow will include a shaded patio where parents can put their feet up, kick back and relax.

A short stroll away, a themed swimming pool will offer hours of fun in the sun alongside a giant sandy play area. A central clubhouse topped by a LEGO lighthouse will feature a buffet restaurant, pool bar and a beach-themed space where kids can build with LEGO bricks and proudly display their creations.

Plus, LEGOLAND Beach Retreat guests will enjoy a breakfast buffet every morning of their stay and early access to the theme park. More amenities and room rates will be announced soon, along with a new check-in service that will make vacationing at LEGOLAND Florida Resort as carefree as a day at the beach.

Can you believe there are people who get paid to build things out of LEGO® bricks?

Believe it. LEGO Master Model Builders Pete, Dave, Colin, Greg, Nate, Sam and TJ are currently assembling the life-size replica of the “1964½” Ford Mustang at the U.S. headquarters of The LEGO Group in Enfield, Conn. Here’s an exclusive peek at the team inside the model shop:

The team of veteran Master Model Builders creating #BrickPony have more than three decades of experience building dazzling models out of millions of LEGO bricks.

Led by Pete, a LEGO veteran, Team #BrickPony is making swift, brick-by-brick progress on the giant model, which is set to arrive at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort this fall, where it will go on permanent display outside the Ford Driving School attraction sponsored by Southern Ford Dealers. Altogether, the talented team has more than 30 years of building experience — that’s a lot of bricks!

Designed by LEGO Master Model Builders using special software, the giant model is assembled from the bottom up in layers, just like an ordinary LEGO set. Large DUPLO® bricks are used for support in the model’s unseen interior.

According to Dale, the build’s senior project manager, while creating a LEGO car may not resemble the way they’re built in Detroit, the process is remarkably similar to assembling a typical LEGO set.

“We are building it like you would at home — one brick and one layer at a time, starting from the bottom,” he said.

LEGO Master Model Builder Sam is part of the seven-person team building the life-size Ford Mustang brick by brick, layer by layer.

Check out Sam, shown here working on layer No. 63 out of the 165 layers it will take to create the Mustang. When complete, the finished model will measure more than 15 feet long, nearly 6 feet wide and more than 4 feet tall.

How many LEGO bricks will it take to build this American classic? We’re not saying — yet. Leave a reply with your best guess!

It’s back-to-school time for local students, but not every child begins the year with the items they need to succeed. This month, we’re asking brick fans to help us support our community by donating school supplies.

Items will be distributed to elementary and middle-school students in the Polk County School Board’s homeless education program. The HEARTH Project and Polk County Public Schools work to ensure that homeless children throughout the county have equal opportunities for educational success.

On Aug. 19-21 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., LEGOLAND® Model Citizens will accept donations at one of our colorfully decorated shuttle buses near the archway as you enter the park. Help us “fill the bus” with items for needy students!

All supplies are welcome, but these are the items needed most:

Full-size spiral notebooks

Composition notebooks

Calculators

Pocket folders (with brads)

Pencils (minimum 12-pack)

Pens (blue, black and red packs)

Markers (minimum 12-pack)

Crayons (minimum 12-pack)

Colored pencils (minimum 12-pack)

Highlighters (assorted packs)

Rulers

Blunt-tip school scissors

Pencil sharpeners

Large pink erasers

Glue sticks (minimum 2-pack)

Everyone who donates 10 items or more from the most-needed list will receive a LEGO® NINJAGO® Sky Pirate building toy with exclusive Minifigure (subject to change while supplies last).

In MINILAND USA, kids will discover some of the most famous scenes from the Star Wars™ saga made out of 1.5 million LEGO bricks, including displays inspired by “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,” “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi,” plus giant LEGO models of Darth Vader, Darth Maul and R2-D2.

You’re invited to #BuildTheForce with fun Star Wars™ activities throughout the theme park, including a hands-on opportunity to create a large mural out of thousands of LEGO bricks, meet-and-greets with LEGO Darth Vader, a Yoda-themed scavenger hunt and photo ops with members of the 501st Legion, a global organization of costumed Star Wars™ fans.

Dress the part and show the world which LEGO® Star Wars™ character you think is best.

Want to learn from the pros? Our Master Model Builders will host a Q&A session to discuss their work and offer LEGO building tips. Kids are encouraged to dress as their favorite LEGO Star Wars™ characters and take part in a colorful parade for a chance to win a LEGO Star Wars™ prize.

All activities during LEGO Star Wars™ Days will take place both event dates and are included with park admission. No extra ticket or Jedi mind tricks required! LEGO Star Wars™ Days is the only LEGO Star Wars™ theme park event in Central Florida.

Currently under construction by a team of LEGO Master Model Builders, the sleek new model is already preparing for its public debut. The #BrickPony, as we’ve nicknamed it, will make its first appearance Sept. 1-4 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 40th anniversary celebration for the Mustang Club of America, a grassroots organization of Mustang enthusiasts that has grown to more than 12,000 national members and nearly 200 regional clubs with more than 40,000 local members.

Join us in Indianapolis and see the car that redefined cool brought to life in a brick-tacular new way!

If you can’t make it, follow #BrickPony on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out where it will appear next before arriving at LEGOLAND Florida Resort in late September.

Come back to our blog on Friday for an exclusive sneak peek inside the model shop!